Javier Solana was EU High Representative for Foreign and Security Policy, Secretary-General of NATO, and Foreign Minister of Spain. He is currently President of the ESADE Center for Global Economy and Geopolitics, Distinguished Fellow at the Brookings Institution, and a member of the World Economic Forum’s Global Agenda Council on Europe.

The author suggests that the EU could play an important role in developing a truly global world.
I think the EU should first work at itself. It's performance is not great.
A Brexit should not have happened. The slow and still inadequate response to immigration from Africa and the Middle East.
The neglected defense in many countries. The difference in competitiveness between the North and South. The huge EU debt. The impopulairity of the EU among the EU citizen. The political power that has too much transferred from the memberstates to the Brussel bureaucracy.

TRUMPING MERKEL
France and Germany have designed the EU to end not just Pax Americana - they first tried to end Pax Brittanica.
Naive of JS to articulate that The Twin Engines of Europe have designed The EU for anything else but for their Twin Megalomania.
At every occasion, and under every pretext, the twins have pounced upon opportunity to snipe at The Anglosphere.
President DeGaulle showed Zero gratefulness - for European reconstruction post 1945 - in the demolition of the Dollar Standard 1971.
The Atlantic Uncertainties - despite having underwritten Europe's Peace n Prosperity with NATO - was why Nixon chose The Pacific.
President Trump in wanting to end the thanklessness, is only walking in the footsteps of Nixon and Kissinger in 1971.
BREXIT and Brexit plus plus both are a result of The Atlantic Uncertainties - which now finds Merkel and JCJ advocating Europe's Army.
Pax Americana as well as Pax Britannica both successfully established The Anglosphere as World's Economic Epicentre - despite Europe.
With America Australia and Canada ensconced inside The Pacific - The Anglosphere is well steered as The World's Economic Epicentre.
Rather than be ambushed by European centric solutions - designed by France and Germany to replace Britain and America as the nucleus.
Underwriting your own demise - America Britain Canada inside NATO - is stupid and President Trump has hit the Right buttons with Merkel.

Javier Solana believes Europe is capable of assuming the mantle of protector of the liberal international order, now that Trump is pushing for an end of Pax Americana with his "America First" agenda. The 9/11 attacks on America, its wars in Afghanistan and Iraq had taken a toll on the country's economic resources and global leadership, eroding its status as the world's “indispensable nation.”
With a rising China and a resurgent Russia in recent decade, America is no longer the world's single decision-maker and "indisputable hegemony." Unlike his predecessors Trump knows nothing about "liberal internationalism" in geopolitics. He does the opposite of promoting "openness and order," and he - indoctrinated by Steve Bannon - loathes globalisation and "multilateral organizations."
Having been the sole economic superpower for most of the post-war period, the US is struggling not to be outdone by China in the coming years .Nevertheless it is still the world's only military titan, whose defence budget will remain unsurpassed in the near future. But for the US, it's hard to get used to not being the sole superpower. While the world is getting multipolar, there is no particular player yet strong enough to replace the US.
The author doesn't mention Russia as a potential substitue, because it is not among the top ten world's biggest economies. With a GDP of over $1.28 trillion Russia ranked 12th in 2016. Militarily it is spending tens of billions on modernising its army. But it's nowhere close to the US budget of over $600 billion. Russia’s economy has been battered by falling oil prices, international sanctions, and rampant inflation. Yet no one can underestimate Putin's ambition to advance Russia's revisionist agenda, by conducting an asymmetric warfare on the battlefield and in the cyberspace.
China and India emerged unscathed after the 2008 global financial crisis and had seen steady growth since then. In 2016, with a GDP of over $2.1 trillion India ranked 7th among the world's largest economies. Given its over 1.2 billion inhabitants, the GDP per capita is relatvely low. In comparison to China, which with approximately the same population size, had a GDP of over $11 tn, behind the EU ($16.4 tn) and the US ($18.6 tn).
China is the world's second largest economy after the US, which under Trump has turned inward and forsaken its role as the defender of globalisation, that Xi Jinping lamented. Beijing has benefited from being part of the global economy and the rules-based system secured by the US and its allies. They want to stick to status quo, fearing the risk of jeopardising "the basis of their domestic legitimacy: economic growth."
Xi is preoccupied with his infrastructure project of the century. The "Belt-and-Road Initiative" that links China to Europe, the Middle East and North Africa over land and sea will cost nearly $1 trillion. Beijing is wary of its bid for global leadership. It would rather see itself as being catapulted into taking on the position of leadership, because the US has retreated into its nostalgic past.
China is certainly a political, economic, and financial force to be reckoned with. But many believe the current global order won't collapse so soon with America's withdrawal from its policing role. Besides the general elections in France, the Netherlands and Germany had breathed new life into the European project. Although the Eurozone is not out of the woods yet, economic growth is in the offing. It would help Angela Merkel and Emmanuel Macron "catalyze reforms" and "reinvigorate ailing multilateral institutions." A united EU could usher in a new "global order" - one that doesn't need to flex military muscles. Solana urges us all to take part and "must not leave the job unfinished."

Javier Solana believes Europe is capable of assuming the mantle of protector of the liberal international order, now that Trump is pushing for an end of Pax Americana with his "America First" agenda. The 9/11 attacks on America, its wars in Afghanistan and Iraq had taken a toll on the country's economic resources and global leadership, eroding its status as the world's “indispensable nation.”
With a rising China and a resurgent Russia in recent decade, America is no longer the world's single decision-maker and "indisputable hegemony." Unlike his predecessors Trump knows nothing about "liberal internationalism" in geopolitics. He does the opposite of promoting "openness and order," and he - indoctrinated by Steve Bannon - loathes globalisation and "multilateral organizations."
Having been the sole economic superpower for most of the post-war period, the US is struggling not to be outdone by China in the coming years .Nevertheless it is still the world's only military titan, whose defence budget will remain unsurpassed in the near future. But for the US, it's hard to get used to not being the sole superpower. While the world is getting multipolar, there is no particular player strong enough to replace the US.
The author doesn't mention Russia as a potential substitue, because it is not among the top ten world's biggest economies. With a GDP of over $1.28 trillion Russia ranked 12th in 2016. Militarily it is spending tens of billions on modernising its army. But it's nowhere close to the US budget of over $600 billion. Russia’s economy has been battered by falling oil prices, international sanctions, and rampant inflation. Yet no one can underestimate Putin's ambition to advance Russia's revisionist agenda, by conducting an asymmetric warfare on the battlefield and in the cyberspace.
China and India emerged unscathed after the 2008 global financial crisis and had seen steady growth since then.In 2016, with a GDP of over $2.1 trillion India ranked 7th among the world's largest economies. Given its over 1.2 billion inhabitants, the GDP per capita is relatvely low. In comparison to China, which with approximately the same population size, had a GDP of over $11 tn, behind the EU ($16.4 tn) and the US ($18.6 tn).
China is the world's second largest economy after the US, which under Trump has turned inward and forsaken its role as the defender of globalisation, that Xi Jinping lamented. Beijing has benefited from being part of the global economy and the rules-based system secured by the US and its allies. They want to stick to status quo, fearing the risk of jeopardising "the basis of their domestic legitimacy: economic growth."
Xi is preoccupied with his infrastructure project of the century. The "Belt-and-Road Initiative" that links China to Europe, the Middle East and North Africa over land and sea will cost nearly $1 trillion. Beijing is wary of its bid for global leadership. It would rather see itself as being catapulted into taking on the position of leadership, because the US has retreated into its nostalgic past.
China is certainly a political, economic, and financial force to be reckoned with. But many believe the current global order won't collapse so soon with America's redrawal from its policing role. Besides the general elections in France, the Netherlands and Germany had breathed new life into the European project. Although the Eurozone is not out of the woods yet, economic growth is in the offing. It would help Angela Merkel and Emmanuel Macron "catalyze reforms" and "reinvigorate ailing multilateral institutions." A united EU could usher in a new "global order." We all have to take part and "must not leave the job unfinished."

The world liberal order is not just about trade. It also explicitly or implicitly includes respect for human, and civic rights. That China’s domestic legitimacy depends on economic growth alone is problematic not only for China but for the world too as China becomes a dominant player in the world economy. Willingly or inadvertently China is promoting and helping dictatorships in the third world.

People do not live by bread alone; they get tired of eating and clothing fast; they want political, cultural, and personal freedoms too. Human nature detests dictators. China’s model and expansion will at some point face inevitable popular opposition in dictatorial countries. The BRI forum communique is good, but not enough. China needs domestic political reform for its own as well as the good of the world. Perhaps they can do their political reform gradually but determinedly as they did their economic reforms over a decade or two. I wish them success.

And all the best for the EU under France-Germany as it takes the leadership role in the international order.

Michael. Many EU countries have not contributed to the NATO what they were committed to do. Mr. Trump has rightfully complained about it.
Instead of quickly correcting that neglect or renogiate the target of 2 % of GDP, mr Schaeubele suggest that Europe must assume a greater responsibilty than that. At the same time in Brussels they are forming an EU army. I just wonder is the EU seperating its ties with the US and NATO ?

Europe must assume greater responsibility to defend a liberal, democratic world order as the United States appears increasingly less willing to do so, German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble said on Tuesday this week: http://af.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idAFKBN19B30G

And hey, why not when Wilbur Ross returned from DTLC’s first trip abroad to praise the lack of protesters in Saudia Arabia, where protesters are executed http://www.cnbc.com/2017/05/22/wilbur-ross-says-saudis-did-not-protest-trump-but-misses-key-point.html

We live in an interconnected, inter- dependent world. This world has been headless for quite sometime this the situation everyone's in today. The EU is not a state, it is merely a semi political establishment with its own challenges. As long as the plan the Germanise the EU continues there can be only big trouble ahead.

Yes indeed MM. A walking corpse without a head. A long time has gone by in the West without a true leader showing us the way. All we have are legions of talking heads with no courage to tackle the real issues beseeching our nations...not to mention a total disdain for the masses that don't agree with their failed policies.

Dear God. China or the US or Macron and thats it? This is detached from reality. The US is not indispensable unless you imagine it. China is a 19th century accelerated industrial revolution. A fast forward button. Macron is unproven. By all means bet you house on him and lose it. All that is needed is developing economies that cry for independence and influence actually picking up some of the burden of that condition. The West should celebrate the death of the white mans burden that so many are only to keen to place on it. If the US ever loses it's reserve currency status then the game changes

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